Game apparatus



Feb-10.1925. 1,526,220

- H. D. JOSEPHSON GAME APPARATUS Filed April 28. 1924 2'. Sheets-She a I INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 10, 1925. w 1,526,220

H. D. JOSEPHSON GAME APPARATUS Filed April 28, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BAD THROW ADVANCE 2 BASES Patented Feb. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES HALSEY D. JOSEPHSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed April 228, 192%. Serial No. 709,576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HALSEY D. Josnrnson, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game aparatus for indoor use for playing the game of baseball.

The principal object of theinvention is the provision of an apparatus whereby the game of baseball may be indulged in by preferably two. players, each player representing a certain team, wherein the playing of the game requires considerable skill on the part of a player before he is declared a winner, and wherein each player by being the manager and director of his team will find the same interesting and amusing as well as instructive in the) fine points of baseball.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision ofa baseball game board which includes a ball delivery chute adapted to be operated, by the player on the defense and a manually operated batting device con trolled by the player on the offense, it be-- 1 status of the, batter. i

A still further object is to providea game board with a palr of splnners, which may be used at a tune when a base runner 1s on either of the three bases, in lieu of the ball delivery and batting device. One of the spinners afiects the status of the man on base and the other the batter.

A still further object resides in the con- .struction of a game apparatus which is simple in construction cheap to manufacture and highly amusing to the participants.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel construction and combination. and arrangement. of the essential features 01E which; are

hereinafter fully described, are particularly.

pointed out in. the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which z- Figure his a plan view of my improved game apparatus. a

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view. of a portion of the same.

Figure 3 is. vertical. sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional line a e of Figure 1.

Figures 5' and 6 are detail views of the spinners.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the reference numeral 10 designates the game board in its entirety and which is square in configuration as shown in Figure 1. The game board may be constructed of any suitable material such as wood or metal and is provided with an upstanding flange 10 which encircles the same. The board is marked oil to provide what is known as an infield 11 which resembles a diamond, and an outfield 12. The infield 11 includes the bases 13 which are arranged at three corners of the diamond and the home plate 1-1 disposed at the remaining corner. Adjacent the home plate 14- is a batters box 15 and disposed in the center of the diamond in alignment with the batters box is a pitchers box 16. Formed about the infield 11 and outfield 12 at a position. where a player would be stationed when playing the out door game of baseball, are pockets 17, each pocket being subdivided into a plurality of compartments by forming the bottom 18 of the pocket with recesses 19. The edge ofthe board within the foul lines 20 are also provided with pockets 17 wherein the ball is adapted to be trapped after being impelled by a batting device to be presently described. Inscribed on the surface of the board above each recess 19, are indicia 21 designating a play adverse to the batter such as Fly out, Out at first or a play advantageous to the batter such as One base hit, Error or the like. Indicia are also provided for aifecting the status ofthe man on base should there. be one as well as affecting the batter and such indicia would read Grounded out, advance runner. Pockets 17 are also arranged outside the foul lines 20 and contain indicia such as Foul fly dropped. Pochets]22 are ar ranged just ins de he; fuel lines which view on the bear the indicia Home run and which pocket is the aim of all playerswhen batting as will be understood, as a home run is constituted the best offensive play in the game. These pockets are also the most difficult to make as they are well protected by certain other pockets which are indicative of defensive plays and offensive plays of less value. There is a pocket 23 directly behind the home plate 1% and bears the indicia Strike which pocket receives the ball when it passes directly over the plate and which is not met by the bat.

For imparting impetus to ball 24, I provide a ball delivery device 25, mounted in the pitchers box 16. The delivery device comprises a plurality of inclined. chutes 25, one of the chutes being disposed in alignment with the plate 14 and the other chutes disposed on opposite sides of the central chute but which merge into the central chute near the bottom thereof. By providing a number of chutes in this manner, the player on the defense may choose in which chute he cares to deposit the ball, it being understood that a ball dropped in the center chute will travel toward the plate at a faster rate of speed than if the ball were placed in either of the other chutes. The ball deposited in the chutes adjacent the center chute will move toward the plate at a slower rate of speed and with a spin intended to confuse the player manipulating the bat. This tends to give the game the effect of an outdoor base ball game. The base of the ball delivery device 24 is provided with a pin 26 for engagement in a socket 27 in the game board whereby the device may be removed when not in use.

The batting device is designated at 28 and comprises a handle 28 formed with a depending striker 29. The handle is provided with a pin 30 for insertion in sockets 31 disposed at opposite sides of the plate 14 to permit the batting device to be used for either right or left hand players. The batting device is free to rotate when moved by the hand of the player to cause the same to connect with the ball for driving the same into any of the recesses.

From the description thus far, it will be seen that the player on the defense drops the ball into the delivery device and the player on the offense stands ready to operate the batting device. We shall presume that a ball has been deposited in the delivery device, and the offensive player fails to operate the bat and the ball enters the pocket 23. The batter is therefore charged with a strike and should it not enter the pocket 23 the batter is credited with a ball. It is of course understood that three strikes constitute an out and four balls permit the offensive player to place a runner on first base. Any suitable disk or manikin may be provided for base runners. We shall pre sume that the batter has struck the ball and the ball in turn has found its resting place in a recess n'iarked. Two base hit. This means that the offensive player is permitted to place a runner on second base and ad- YZUICQ the runners t\V() bases should tile bZISCS be occupied. Should the ball enter a recess marked Gut on fly, the offense is charged with an out and it being the rules of the game that three outs permit the defensive to take his turn at the bat thereby placing the other player on the defense.

situation may arise when the bases are occupied, to have a man steal a base, and for this purpose I provide a pair of spinners 32 and 33 and each spinner comprising a dial 3% and a rotatable pointer 35. Instead of the defensive player depositing the ball in the delivery device, the offensive player has the privilege of rotating the pointers simultaneously to determine the fate of the base runner and the status of the batter, that is, whether the ball which the runner advanced on or was declared out, was a strike or a ball. For this purpose, the dial of the spinner 32 is divided into spaces containing such indicia as Caught stealing or Runner safe while the dial of the spinner 38 is similarly divided and contains indica such as Ball or Strike. These spinners are clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and operation of the invention has been clearly set forth and a further description is not believed necessary as the rules covering the wellknown game of baseball are adopted in this device.

While I have described what I deem to be the most desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be varied without in any Way departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact details of construction herein set forth nor to anything less than the whole of my invention limited claims.

What is claimed as new is 1. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination of a board having the outline of a playing field thereon to indicate the bases and home plate. pockets formed with recesses. indicia above said recesses and indicative of offensive and defensive plays, a ball delivery chute, a batting device operable on either side of the home plate for striking a ball delivered toward the home plate by said ball delivery device to drive the same into any of said recesses, and spinners oper able when a base is occupied for determining the result of a play by the base runner to advance, and for indicating whether a ball only by the appended 1 or strike should be credited to the batter on such play.

2. In a baseball game apparatus, the combination of a board having the outline of a playing field thereon to indicate the bases and home; plate, pockets formed with re cesses, indicia above said recesses and in dicative of ofi'ensive and defensive plays, a ball delivery chute, a batting device operable on either side of the home plate for striking a ball delivered toward the home plate by saidball delivery device to drive the same into any of said recesses, and a pocket disposed directly behind the home plate for receiving a ball passing over the home plate and missed by the battlng device, said pocket having indicia thereon adverse to the batter.

3. In a baseball game apparatus, the com-- bination of a board having the outline of a playing field thereon to indicate the bases and home plate, pockets formed with re cesses, indicia above said recesses and indicative of offensive and defensive plays, a ball delivery chute, a batting device operable on either side of the home plate for striking a ball delivered toward the home plate by said ball delivery device to drive the same into any of said recesses, and spinners operable When a base is occupied for determining the result of a play by the base runner to advance, and for indicating whether a ball or strike should be credited to the batter on such play, and a pocket disposed directly behind the home plate for receiving a ball passing over the home plate and missed by the batting device, said pocket having indicia thereon adverse to the batter.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HALSEY D. J OSEPHSON. 

